Dominique Clark
Dominique Clark is a character from the Surviving High School Novel. She was introduced as the most popular freshman and Cameron Clark's half sister. Dominique is on the swim team like her half brother and was the antagonist of the novel, vying for Ben Kale's affections against Emily Kessler. Dominique has not made an in-game appearance but had a bonus section of the How To Be a Star novel dedicated to her decision to move back to Twin Branches. Her most notable storyline to date has been her rivalry with Emily Kessler in the Surviving High School novels. Backstory Much of Dominique's backstory is revealed in the bonus chapter of How To Be A Star, "How to Get Back Up", such as her insecurity with her appearance and what was going through her mind during certain events of the first novel, Surviving High School: The Novel. The story explains that when she moved to California in eighth grade, she was unpopular and deemed undateable by the boys in her school. It wasn't until she met Lindsay and was introduced to makeup, face wash to clear her acne, better clothes and started filling out that she was considered attractive. Transferring to Twin Branches for her first year of high school with Lindsay, Dominique was proud of herself when she started gaining the respect and approval of her peers. It had been Ben she was trying to impress when she was eating the pizza in the cafeteria and she was jealous when she noticed how easily Emily was able to make Ben laugh when he seemed so bored with Dominique before. A lot of Dominique's hatred towards Emily stems from how effortlessly Emily was able to get Ben to fall in love with her and how Dominique believes she takes the things in her life for granted (such as having a father who was an Olympic athlete in swimming to train her). Storylines Dominique's character is only present during the first novel of the Surviving High School series and, due to her departure to go train with another school, is not featured in the game. Her character is mentioned in Showcase Sabotage, Part 1 but she has never been introduced into the game. ''Surviving High School: The Novel'' Introduced on the first day of school to the rest of her peers, Dominique quickly takes her place as the most popular female freshman. Having competed against Emily in swim competitions in the past, Dominique and Emily already have developed a bitter rivalry, though most of it is one sided with Emily trying to avoid her. Taking her seat at the Center table with the other popular students, Dominique is seen being cheered on by the jocks as she scarfs down two boxes of pizza. Many of the boys find this ability to be attractive, especially Spencer Cooper who becomes infatuated with her. Dominique is oblivious to his crush as she has her sights set on Ben Kale. Dominique continues to tease and belittle Emily throughout the novel, it being noted that Emily's insecurity of changing in front of the other girls derives from having her developing body be mocked by her. After hearing that Emily was heard crying during lunch, Dominique finds Emily in the locker room and teases her, coining the nickname 'swimbot'. Sam quickly comes to Emily's defense, cutting Dominique down a peg. Being chosen to be featured in 'Swimmer's Monthly' with Emily, Emily's story overshadows her piece of the article. Watching Emily's popularity within the school grow because of this media attention makes Dominique jealous. At Ben's birthday party the next Friday, a very drunk Dominique walks around searching for Ben while unaware that he is hiding from her with Emily. Dominique grows jealous and angry when she catches them in the pool together and waits until Ben leaves to confront Emily. Tripping on Emily's dress, Dominique falls into the pool and is laughed at by the partygoers. Detaching herself from the popular crowd to focus purely on swimming so she can beat Emily in the upcoming Junior Nationals, Dominique decides to get back at Emily one last time by emailing her father anonymously and tipping him off about Emily dating Ben and their late night dates. During qualifications, both Dominique and Emily qualify although not only does Dominique beat Emily's time, she beats Emily's dead sister, Sara's time. Emily decides not to go to Junior Nationals and instead goes to Homecoming with Ben although when Ben finds out that Emily has given up Junior Nationals for him, Ben drives Emily to Junior Nationals and Dominique's time is the same as it was during qualifications. Emily beats Dominique, however. ''How To Be A Star'' Although not a character in the second novel, a short story titled "How To Get Back Up" written in her perspective is included as bonus content at the back of the book. It is revealed that following Junior Nationals, Dominique transferred out of Twin Branches and into Bellvue Sports Academy. Training and pushing herself harder to accomplishe faster lap times, Dominique bears a deep grudge against Emily, feeling that she has taken away everything from her: popularity, Junior Nationals, and Ben. Dominique trains harder and harder so that when the day comes to compete against Emily again, she can win. Visited by her half-brother Cameron, she is caught up on the story of Kimi's viral video and is confided in when Cameron's mind has been heavily weighed down with thoughts of Sara Kessler. It is because of her conversation with Cameron that later that night, Dominique comes to the realization that she has been running from her problems and will someday need to face them. Packing up her bags, Dominique greets Cameron the next morning and announces her decision to move back to Twin Branches. While hugging him, Dominique voices her true motives: getting back her popularity, winning Ben's heart and taking down Emily. Relationships Romantic Interests Ben Kale Domonique had a crush on Ben Kale. She would consistently flirt with him, believing he liked her back. During Ben's party, she even goes searching for Ben, but Ben does not feel the same about her. Rivalries Emily Kessler Dominique is jealous of Emily for two reasons. Being the daughter of an Olympic athlete, Emily was instantly provided the best training, making Dominique envy Emily, as she also believes Emily takes this opportunity for granted. Emily and Dominique were also one of the best members on the swim team, both of them in fact breaking records--Dominique first, Emily second. The second reason for Dominique's jealousy being that Emily is dating Ben Kale, Dominique's crush. Dominique was upset by how effortlessly Emily got Ben to like her. Personality Once seen as one of the most popular girls in school, Dominique was a hit with both girls and boys as her popularity initially stemmed from being related to Cameron Clark and her attractiveness. Outgoing with a love of constant attention and spotlight, Dominique could be seen in the cafeteria often competing in food competitions and dares while the boys from various sports teams cheered her on nearby. While she had a lot of power, Dominique also tended to be a bully to those she thought of as below her and antagonized Emily Kessler after the death of her sister, coming up with cruel nicknames for her. Dominique also has exhibited traits of vanity, competitiveness, clinginess and vengefulness. She currently holds a strong grudge against Emily, believing that she has taken away everything from her: popularity, swim records and Ben Kale. Age Dominique was most recently a sophomore in high school meaning that she was between the ages of 15 and 16. Quotes Trivia *Although she had a strong and obvious crush on Ben throughout the novel, Dominique was oblivious to his dislike of her and Spencer Cooper's crush on her. *Her best friend is Lindsay Vale whom she met in eighth grade. They made the move to Twin Branches for their freshman year together. *She moved into the Twin Branches area so she could specifically train with Coach Kessler. Dominique often felt annoyed with this decision however since he pays closer attention to his daughter than her. *She was only invited to Ben's parties because he wanted to give Spencer a chance to hook up with her. Category:Female Category:Swim Team Category:Characters Category:Popular Category:Bully Category:Antagonist Category:Original Cast Category:Novel Only Characters